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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Hello, Dear Ones! Well today we're going on another little excursion! Pop in and we'll head out!

Such beautiful little cows out grazing in the fields on this beautiful day!

By this time we had the driving business down. Mr. Precious behind the wheel and I was the navigator with the GPS held by my dainty fingers! :)

More farmy animals. Cute and fat pigs.

Then my favorite, cute and fluffy sheep!

Do yo see it? Do you? See it on the hill? See it?

Praise the Lord! The sign says OPEN! Woohooness!

This odd looking place held a wonderful exhibit where we toured first before we actually saw Stonehenge. Come on! I. Could. Hardly. Wait.

There it is...STONEHENGE! We were only a few miles from here almost six years ago but we were not able to see it. This time it happened.

Here we are and no, no, Nannette! That is not a bird or squirrel on top of my tiny head but my most gorgeous hair blowing in the wind! :)

I'll be quiet and let you look. The view of Stonehenge was different as we continued to circle it.

Well, you know me, can't stay quiet for too long. We did learn these massive rock formations were built around 5,000 years ago! There was another outer wall around what you see here that isn't standing today.

What is Stonehenge? Possibly a worship site, bones have been found so probably a burial ground, an astrological calendar, maybe a healing site because of all of the afflicted bones that have been found.

Who built Stonehenge? Well, it used to be said that the Druids or the Romans could have built it. Or aliens! Some have suggested no humans or aliens built it but it was just a force of nature that stood these huge stones up on end and just happened to align them in a perfect circle that acts like a sundial. Well, I'll tell you what...I'm sticking to the alien story. If ET could have come here and stood in the middle of the stones, his parents would have seen him and beamed him up!

Hope you enjoyed seeing Stonehenge. It was really quite thrilling and the day was beautiful!

Let me tell you a little story. You know how I love to tell you little stories. I forgot to tell you. I brought my favorite cushy flipflops that I wore on the ship and we had checked the weather and it was supposed to be in the high 60s and 70s during the day - flipflop weather. Well, it got chilly and rained, my cushy flipflops got wet! I thought they had dried out so I put them back on. My toes were cold but I thought I could take it. We got into the car to head out for the day and we smelled a 'wet dog' smell. I checked everywhere wondering what that smell could be. Well, Dear Ones, it was my cushy, mildewy smelling flipflops! EEWWW! They stunk to high heaven. So we looked for a place to buy me some socks and real shoes. Found shoes and socks so I took the smelly flipflops and poked them in the shoe box and gave them to the clerk and asked her if she would put them in the 'rubbish'. She smiled and said she would! Just so you'll know I washed my nasty little toes and feet in the bathroom, dried them and put on my socks and shoes just like I had good sense! :)

We drove around the lovely little town of Salisbury which was a very picturesque little town.

Had to stop for a spot of tea and some soup here. The best pea and ham soup I've ever eaten.

This may be blurry but I'll never be in a hurry to snap for you! :) Well, it is blurry so I must have been in a hurry! This is where I washed my stinky feet! I tell you these things because I love you so! ;)

Be a bunch of sweeties,
Shelia ;)

I'll leave you with a little Note Song ~

Everybody Must Get Stoned

Well, they'll stone ya when you're trying to be so good
They'll stone ya just a-like they said they would
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to go home
Then they'll stone ya when you're there all alone
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
Well, they'll stone ya when you're walkin' 'long the street
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to keep your seat
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' on the floor
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' to the door
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
They'll stone ya when you're at the breakfast table
They'll stone ya when you are young and able
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to make a buck
They'll stone ya and then they'll say, "Good luck"
Tell ya what, I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
Well, they'll stone you and say that it's the end
Then they'll stone you and then they'll come back again
They'll stone you when you're riding in your car
They'll stone you when you're playing your guitar
Yes, but I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
Well, they'll stone you when you walk all alone
They'll stone you when you are walking home
They'll stone you and then say you are brave
They'll stone you when you are set down in your grave
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned~ sung by Bob Dylan

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Hello, Dear Ones! And welcome to another day in Bath, England with us! We loved Bath so much that we decided to take the train back and explore the Roman baths! Did you know there were Roman Baths in Bath? :) Thus the name.

Just some pretty snaps of the inside where we purchased our tickets.

We were not the only ones wanting to see the Baths! Cute little kiddoes.

Careful? Hang on to the rail and don't fall!

Can you see the steam coming up? You may be wondering why the waters are green? We were told because of no motion from bathers anymore and so much of the water is exposed to sunlight, algae began to form. It is cleaned periodically, but with the sun shining on the water - algae does it thing.

See the seat? I wonder if you were to sit there and just hop off into the waters or maybe the waters were higher back then? A little history on the baths:Bath was founded upon natural hot springs with the steaming water
playing a key role throughout its history. Lying in the heart of the
city the Roman Baths were constructed around 70 AD as a grand bathing
and socialising complex. It is now one of the best preserved Roman
remains in the world.
1,170,000 litres of steaming spring water reaching 46 °C still fill the
bathing site every single day. The Romans believed that this was the
mystical work of the Gods but we now know that the water source, which
comes from the King’s Spring, fell as rain water around 10,000 BC.
The Great
Bath that lies below street level can also be viewed from the Terrace,
which is adorned with statues and shadowed by the great Abbey. Other
chambers to explore include the remains of the ancient heated rooms and
changing rooms as well as tepid and plunge pools.

This was a little replica of how the area looked at one time. We were given audio headsets that filled our tiny heads with knowledge of the baths.

Many articles and their stories were all around for us to learn from.

Couldn't help myself. Had to show you the hairdo on the chopped off head! :)

This was the goddess Sulis Minerva, a combination name from the Celtic and the Roman goddesses.

These bones were found in the baths. Hmmm...and the head is supposedly how the guy would have looked.

Now let's walk around some of the different bath rooms. In the day these baths were like a spa. Baths were not only a place to clean yourself but also a place to
exercise, socialize and conduct business. Snacks and drinks were
available for people to enjoy. Some large bath complexes contained
meeting rooms, libraries, gardens and other facilities. The entrance fee
to a bathhouse was small, so most people could afford
to take frequent baths. Lots of things have been found in and around the drains: jewelry, dishes, perfume vials, flasks, gambling objects, coins and even a scalpel! Not to mention those bones. Lordy!

Still steamy.

This area showed the stacked tiles that allowed the steam to heat the tiled towers allowing steam to heat the flooring that was placed on top of them creating a sauna.

Mr. Precious said, "Back up! Just a little bit more. A little bit more!" Ha! I knew what he was doing and I was not going to fall into that green water! No, no, Nannette! Really this was an amazing site.

After we were just filled to the brim with knowledge, we needed ICE CREAM! So we indulged and headed back to the train station.

Oh, Lord, help me! We turned the corner and saw this ghastly creature standing in a doorway. Is that a drop of blood I see on the floor on the right hand side? We did not stay around wondering very long! Poof! we're gone!

I have a few more posts to share with you and I hope you're enjoying our little trip!

Be a bunch of sweeties,

Shelia ;)

I'll leave you with a little Note Song ~

Splish Splash

Splish, splash, I was takin' a bath

Long about a Saturday night, yeah
A rub dub, just relaxin' in the tub
Thinkin' everythin' was alright

Well, I stepped out the tub
I put my feet on the floor
I wrapped the towel around me and I
Opened the door

And then a-splish, splash
I jumped back in the bath
Well, how was I to know
There was a party goin' on?

There was a-splishin' and a-splashin'
Reelin' with the feelin'
Movin' and a-groovin'
Rockin' and a-rollin', yeah, yeah

Bing, bang, I saw the whole gang
Dancin' on my living room rug, yeah
Flip, flop, they was doin' the bop
All the teens had the dancin' but

There was lollipop with a Peggy Sue
Good golly, Miss Molly was-a even there, too
A- well-a, splish, splash, I forgot about the bath
I went and put my dancin' shoes on, yeah

I was a-rollin' and a-strollin'
Reelin' with the feelin'
Movin' and a-groovin'
Splishin' and a-splashin', yeah

Yes, I was a-splishin' and a-splashin'
I was a-rollin' and a-strollin'
Yeah, I was a-movin' and a-groovin'
We was a-reelin' with the feelin'
We was a-rollin' and a-strollin'
Movin' with the groovin'
Splish, splash, yeah

Splishin' and a-splashin'
One time I was splishin' and a-splashin'
Ooh, I was movin' and a-groovin'
Yeah, I was splishin' and a-splashin'

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Hello, Dear Ones! No, no Nannette! I have not fallen out of love with Mr. Precious. There is not another man in my life. You'll understand the title of my post later on. Bare with me! :) So come along with me on our second day in England.

We discovered the little Yatton train station and took the train a couple of times to Bath. So nice to take the train and it gave Mr. Precious a break from driving on the wrong side of the road! ;)

We made it to Bath and Mr. Precious and I are ready to take you along with us on a little walking tour. Notice the umbrella...rained a bit on us every day!

Here we go!

Some pretty snaps of the lovely buildings around town. It really is an easy town to walk through.

This is the Royal Victoria Park and how beautiful it was! It was named after Queen Victoria when she was a little girl. England was chosen to hold the 2015 Rugby World Cup and there were fans everywhere chanting!

I turned around twice to see this as I could barely believe my eyes and yes, those are real humans! The guy on the bottom must really take some strong vitamins!

Coo coo! I love you! Evidently these doves/pigeons loved this gal.

Mr. Precious and I were needed some nurishment so we stopped into this nice department store,

Feast your eyes on this lovely. Folks call it Bath Abbey.

Now hang on gang, this church was founded in the 7th century! Can you believe it. It was rebuilt at different times through the centuries! Wow!

Then...look! The Jane Austen Centre! We all love Jane, don't we? Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma and probably some more I can't think of.

We're greeted at the door by this pretty lady! She's not a real person but look at those eye lashes! Okie dokie, let's go in.

I'll just let you look around for a little bit.

Okay, now don't you laugh. We wanted to poke our heads behind these clothes stands. Mr. Precious did just fine but me - I'm so short my tiny neck couldn't reach the opening so I had to lean the stand toward me so I could fit! I'd tried to put Mr. Precious and I together and he ended up with two elbows!

We found out that the above drawing is the only image of Jane and it was drawn by her sister."The only verifiable image of Jane Austen is a small watercolour painted by
her sister Cassandra but it has been acknowledged by experts as a poor
attempt and was described by her niece as ‘hideously unlike’ her aunt
Jane". So, a wax figure of Jane was made from written accounts of friends.

Dear Ones, this was just amazing:

"The Jane Austen Centre
in Bath, England unveiled the wax sculpture above, which they say is
the closest “anyone has come to the real Jane Austen in 200 years.” The
figure, The Guardianreports,
is the creation of forensic artist Melissa Dring, a “specialist team
using forensic techniques which draw on contemporary eye-witness
accounts,” and Emmy-winning costume designer Andrea Galer." Based partly on that description and others from niece Caroline, the wax figure, Dring told the BBC,
is “pretty much like her.” Austen “came from a large… family and they
all seemed to share the long nose, the bright sparkly eyes and curly
brown hair. And these characteristics come through the generations.”
Dring used Austen’s sister Cassandra’s famous portrait
as a starting point, but noted that the sketch “does make it look like
she’s been sucking lemons […] We know from all accounts of her, she was
very lively, very great fun to be with and a mischievous and witty
person.” All descriptions with which her devoted readers would doubtless
agree."

I had to sit at Jane's deck and write a note thanking her for all of her literary works! :) With a quill pen, I might add.

Now to end with why my post is titled "I Love Mr. Darcy". This is a lovely portrait of Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth, I think the best from from all the actors who played Mr. D) from Jane's book "Pride and Prejudice", When my daughter was younger I wanted her to love some of the classic books I so enjoyed reading as a girl. So, I introduced her to the Bronte' sisters (Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, etc.) and of course Jane Austen's works, but Pride and Prejudice was my favorite and we watched all of the movies from these books we could find. And as we all did, she fell in love with Mr. Darcy, especially Colin Firth's Mr. D. So, what did I find in the gift shop?

I saw this Tshirt and knew she had to have it. Don't be jealous son in law, this was only a book! :)

Thanks for continuing along with me on my journey in England! There'll be more to come.

Be a sweetie,

Shelia ;)

I'll leave you with a little Note Song~

Pride and Prejudice Lyrics

Listen...
Growing frightened of the sound of my own voice
I really didn't want to listen, but I had no choice
All the things you taught me begin to ring untrue
Now all I wanna do, all I wanna do is love you

(Chorus)
Pride and prejudice
Keep us from being together
Lies and cowardice
The walls that keep us locked out
Sticks and stones may break us
But the fire of hate will burn us down
Now we're all alone
With the war inside our souls

Everything I'm feeling is reflected in your eyes
(Can't you see?)
But caught up in a struggle and too blind to realize
That to love without connection
There's a rule that makes us strong
The only place to find it
Is deep inside and it's been there all along

There is a hunger in the human heart
That leads us to the light
There is a higher power
To teach us wrong from right